As Long As We Both Shall Live
by chocolatequeen
Summary: The Doctor has always wanted to share a telepathic bond with Rose Tyler, and now he finally has the chance. But, as always, the universe has a surprise in store for them. For once, it's a good surprise. Part of Two Hearts, One Life, following Memories and Promises.
1. Chapter 1

There was one thing Rose hadn't considered when she'd accepted the Doctor's proposal, she reflected six weeks later.

Jackie's strident voice filled the small chapel. "No, this isn't nearly big enough for the number of guests we'll have."

The confused wedding planner looked at Rose, who shrugged weakly. If she'd realised she was opening herself up to months of wedding planning with her mum, her answer to the Doctor might have been different.

Her ring caught and reflected the sunlight as they left the building, and Rose smiled despite the headache brewing behind her eyes. _Then again, maybe not._ The look on the Doctor's face when he'd slid the ring onto her finger more than made up for any annoyance she felt towards her mum.

Still, she was grateful when the afternoon was over and the driver dropped her off at home. After muttering reassurances that she and the Doctor would be over for Sunday roast the next day, she escaped the car and nearly ran up the walk to her own home.

The Doctor stuck his head out of the kitchen when she slammed the door behind her. "Long day?" he asked, his left eyebrow arched when he realised she was leaning against the door with her arms splayed out, as if she were intent on keeping something out.

Rose groaned and pushed off from the door. "Just Mum," she said, and that was enough explanation to elicit a sympathetic hum, followed by a hug.

Feeling the Doctor's arms around relaxed her, as always, and after a few moments, she unbent enough to catch a delicious scent in the air. She pulled back and sniffed a few times, then let go of the Doctor and stepped around him into the kitchen.

"Oh, I love you," she groaned when she spotted take out containers on the counter from their favourite Indian restaurant. The food was already dished up and on the table waiting for them, and she shrugged out of her coat and handed it to the Doctor, then took her seat while he hung it up.

"I hope so, since you agreed to marry me," he said, a twinkle in his eyes.

Rose stuck her tongue out at him, then dug into her meal. After taking a few bites, she leaned back and shook her head. "Believe me, only love could convince me to put up with Mum planning our wedding."

The Doctor tore off a piece of naan and swiped it through his curry before popping it into his mouth. "Is she still determined to make it the wedding of the century?" he asked after he'd swallowed.

"At least." Rose sighed when she felt some of her earlier headache return. "I've half a mind to elope—it would serve her right." She rested her chin on her hand and looked at the Doctor. "Please tell me there's some kind of Time Lord ritual we could do instead of this… circus. Preferably something very, very private."

The Doctor nearly choked. He'd been trying to figure out how to bring bonding up for weeks, and after all his fretting, Rose had handed him an opportunity on a silver platter.

Her eyes narrowed. "There is," she deduced quickly. "There is, and it's something you want."

He swallowed his food, then took a gulp of water. "Let's finish our meal, and then I'll tell you about it," he said, not bothering to deny her assertion.

Rose ate her dinner with barely concealed impatience, and as soon as they were sitting in the living room together, she looked at him expectantly. "Tell me."

Her soft request eased some of the Doctor's agitation. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"It was called bonding," he started, jumping right into the middle of the explanation.

Rose nodded. "That's as good a word for marriage as any," she mused. "Binding your lives together."

The Doctor shook his head. "Bonding was more than that," he said, stumbling over the words slightly. The butterflies in his stomach were almost unbearable. In all his years with Rose, there were only four other times he'd asked her a question that meant as much as this one—asking her to come with him when they met, asking her to continue travelling with him after he regenerated, asking her to choose him on that beach, and just six weeks ago, when he'd asked her to marry him.

Rose patted his knee. "Calm down, Doctor," she murmured, and he realised his breathing had sped up. "Just tell me, and then we can talk about it."

The Doctor took a breath and held it for a second before letting it out slowly. Then he said, "A bond would be telepathic, Rose. It would tie our minds together permanently."

She turned slightly to look up at him. "Tie our minds together? What does that mean? Would we be able to read each other's minds?"

"Not… exactly," he hedged. "It would be more like… knowing one another so deeply that we could anticipate each other's thoughts."

The tiniest furrow appeared on Rose's forehead, and his heart sank. She didn't want it; it was too much.

"Would I even be able to do that, since I'm human?"

It took the Doctor a moment to realise she wasn't refusing—that, in fact, she sounded interested, although the interest was tempered by caution. Then his heart sped up and he felt a grin stretch across his face, before he nodded fervently.

"Oh, yes," he promised. "We know you're at least a little bit telepathic, based on your ability to communicate with our TARDIS. And even if you weren't, I'm telepathic enough to support a bond between us on my own."

She licked her lips. "It's permanent?"

He nodded.

"It sounds… intimate. Like we'd be completely open to one another. Always together, always… vulnerable."

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Bonds had actually fallen out of favour before my time," he admitted. "Time Lords weren't really keen on making themselves vulnerable to others."

Rose's eyes sought his. "But you would trust me with… with all of you, like this?"

His heart ached with love for Rose, and he wanted to open himself up to her right there so she could see how much he trusted her. Instead, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it tenderly before saying, "I would trust you with everything I am, Rose."

Finally, a smile broke through her serious demeanour, like the sun peeking through the clouds. "Then I would love to bond with you, Doctor."

The Doctor leaned forward and kissed her, partly in an attempt to conceal the excited squeak he felt in the back of his throat. Bonding with Rose had been his forbidden fantasy since the moment he'd used a kiss to take the Vortex from her. He'd slowly been working up the courage to mention it to her when they'd been separated, and he'd had four lonely years to regret not asking when he had the chance.

Rose curled her fingers into the Doctor's hair as he kissed her. She could practically taste his excitement and eagerness, and they spurred on her own. When his lips moved away from her mouth to trail kisses along her jawline, she turned her head and whispered in his ear.

"Can we do it now?"

He nipped at her ear. "Oh, I intend to," he growled, before pulling her into his lap.

Rose laughed and pushed against his shoulders, putting a little space between them. "Not what I meant, love," she explained when he looked up at her through passion-glazed eyes.

"Then what… Oh." He blinked a few times, and she watched some of his control return. "You mean the bond?"

Rose nodded, and the Doctor leaned back against the cushions and raked his hand through his hair. "Well…" He pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth. "We could, but I actually have plans, if that's all right?"

"Of course," she assured him. It struck her then in a way that it hadn't earlier—this was something he'd really been wanting for a while, enough to plan it out before he even mentioned it to her. "As long as we can implement these plans before my mum drives me mad," she added, remembering what had sparked the conversation in the first place.

The Doctor laughed, the tugged her closer and nuzzled into her neck. "Oh, I think that can be arranged," he assured her. "If I can get Pete to agree to let us have two weeks off, could you be ready to go by Friday?"

After a quick mental review of her calendar, Rose nodded. The Doctor beamed, then pressed a quick kiss to her lips before standing up with her wrapped securely in his arms. "Then I think we were in the middle of something," he said as he carried her to their room.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday night, after a quick dinner, Rose followed an eager Doctor onto the TARDIS. She spotted the bag they'd packed just inside the door, and her stomach flipped. _We're really doing this_ , she realised as the Doctor danced around the console, taking them through time and space to their very secret destination.

Her one request, when he'd asked, was to go someplace as far from the dreariness of London in January as possible. Beyond that, she knew nothing of where they were going. The Doctor had taken the TARDIS out every night that week, making plans and reservations and refusing to tell Rose any of the details.

Exhilaration coursed through Rose when they landed, and she laughed breathlessly. The Doctor beamed at her, then bounded over to the door and pulled it open, letting golden evening light pour into the TARDIS. The air smelled like earth warmed by the sun after a long summer day.

He leaned against the railing and gestured to the door. "Come take a look, Rose," he invited.

She jogged down the ramp, then stopped when she saw the view framed by the TARDIS doors. A rocky cliff was silhouetted against the dusky blue sky, rising at least a thousand meters above the valley floor. The setting sun looked like it was resting on top of the cliff, and the image was reflected in the glassy lake spread out before them.

"It's gorgeous, Doctor," she said as she stepped out of the TARDIS. A cool mountain breeze lifted her hair off the nape of her neck. Rose tilted her head, taking a deep breath of the air, scented with pine needles and summer wildflowers. "Where are we?"

The Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "This is Iastea. In a thousand years, this will be one of the natural wonders of the galaxy, but it won't even be discovered for another fifty years."

Rose turned in his arms and rested her hands on his chest. The golden evening light hit his hair, and she played with a few strands that looked almost ginger in the orange glow.

"It's just the two of us?" she asked.

He smiled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled up. "Yep! Just you and me, Rose Tyler." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then said, "I wanted to take you someplace without any sentient species nearby. Opening your mind to telepathy for the first time can be overwhelming if there are too many voices clamouring for attention."

The nervous excitement pulsing through Rose's body demanded she move, so she pulled away from the Doctor and walked around the small campsite he'd set up. Closer to the lake, on a flat patch of ground, he'd fashioned a bed out of pillows, cushions, and blankets.

"We're going to sleep under the stars?"

The Doctor nodded as he crossed the small clearing to stand on the opposite side of the bed. "I picked a night with clear skies and warm weather so we could stargaze as we fell asleep."

Champagne was chilling in a bucket on one side of the bed, with two glasses resting carefully alongside the bottle. The reminder that they'd soon have something to celebrate made Rose eager to move on to their reason for coming. She looked up at the Doctor and smiled. "What do we do first?"

The Doctor's heart tripped in his chest. He'd spent hours this week going over every detail of their bonding, making sure he remembered the right words to invite Rose to share his life with him. But none of his plans prepared him for how eager Rose's simple question made him feel.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to remember the details he'd decided on. "Let's sit down on the bed facing each other," he said, and they both took a moment to take their shoes off before climbing onto the soft nest he'd created for them.

Sitting on the bed facing Rose, the Doctor was momentarily distracted by the way the setting sun cast a golden-red halo around her blonde hair. He'd seen her look like that before…

Rose's hand on his knee jolted him out of his memories. "Doctor?"

"Right, yes." He rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans, then lifted his hands until his fingers hovered by Rose's temples. "Are you ready, love?" he whispered.

She licked her lips. "Tell me what it'll feel like?"

The Doctor brushed a strand of hair back from her face. "It'll feel like a cool breeze, brushing over your face. Or the way it does to float on water. Like something is there, all around you, and you could almost become part of it."

"And you'll be the breeze?"

He smiled. "I'll be the breeze."

Rose nodded. "Okay then. Oh. Do I… should I?" She lifted her own hands, mirroring his position.

"After I've formed the initial connection, yes." She opened her mouth again, and he said, "You'll know. Trust me, you'll know when it happens."

"I always trust you."

Her whisper mingled with the breeze and bird song and should have been almost too quiet to hear. But more than almost any other words, those were the ones the Doctor worked hard every day to deserve, and he would never miss them.

She met his gaze steadily. "I'm ready, Doctor."

He took a shaky breath, then pressed his fingers to her temples. He'd been in Rose's mind before when he'd hidden the memory of Bad Wolf, but it felt different now than it had all those years ago. He could feel the breeze, just like he'd told her, but now it carried a hint of arkytior and the fragrance of red grass, blowing in the wind.

The Doctor concentrated on his own mind, imaging that he was the breeze he'd described to Rose. As he did, he felt her fingers brush against his temples, and suddenly, the light spring zephyr of her mind swirled gently around the volatile, storm-prone gusts of his own.

And then the wind died down, and they were standing together at the edge of the lake while the stars slowly came out in the sky above them. Rose frowned and looked up, and the Doctor shook his head.

 _It's just a projection,_ he explained. _We're still sitting on the bed. But right now, in our minds, we're standing here._

 _Are we bonded already?_ she asked.

 _No. This is just a connection, like I said._ The Doctor felt Rose's mind moving around his own, testing the connection, and he shivered in delight. _And Rose. I was right last week when I said you were telepathic. You shouldn't be able to do that so easily._

Her telepathic avatar took his hands. _Show me what to do, Doctor._

He took one of her hands and put it over his heart, then reached out and put his hand over hers. _Can you feel that?_ he asked. _Feel me touching your soul, as you touch mine?_

Rose's mouth fell open partway. _Yes._ The golden halo he'd noticed earlier returned, stronger this time. _I feel you, my Doctor._

 _Then do as I do, my Rose. Take my life into you as I take yours into me. Let Time bind us together until we are one in heart, mind, and soul._

It took effort to both give to himself to Rose and accept her part of the bond in return. To his surprise, despite her inexperience with telepathy, Rose seemed to have an easier time with the transfer than he did.

She caught that thought, and when she looked up at him, he suddenly recognised the gold flecks in her eyes. _I have merged with another before, my Doctor._

The gentle reminder worried him, and he almost pulled out of her mind to make sure she was safe. But Rose held him tight and soothed away his fears, and a moment later, it was too late to pull back anyway. The bond was formed.

Rose slowly pulled her hand away from the Doctor's chest. She could feel him with her now, inside of her. The sensation of unity and connection was glorious, but there was a discordant note, something out of place and not quite right.

She tilted her head and studied her bondmate. Time danced around them both like tiny golden dust motes, but there were also strands of time that stretched out before them, branching off in different directions.

Two of the strands called to her, and Rose carefully reached out and picked them up, ignoring the Doctor's gasp of surprise when she did. One of the golden threads was times longer than the other one, and Rose knew, somehow, that this wasn't right.

 _But how can I fix it?_ she wondered.

Even as the question occurred to her, she remembered a time when she had seen everything and been able to bend time to her will. She could no longer rearrange every particle of time to suit her, but she could fix this.

Rose closed her eyes and held the two strands in one hand. With the fingers of her other hand, she pulled on the fibres of the shorter strand, stretching it and twining it to the longer until they were matched in length and so tightly bound together that the only way to cut one would be to cut them both.

Then she carefully let them go, watching as the strands settled back into the tapestry of time.

The Doctor's eyes were wide and he was breathing heavily. _Rose… That…_ He pressed his fingers to her temples again. _Wake up, Rose._

She couldn't ignore the note of command in his voice, and a moment later, Rose was blinking her eyes open. When she realised she was sitting on the bed and that the sun had completely set, she knew they were back in the real world.

There was something in the Doctor's eyes that she'd never seen… no wait, she had! That combination of awe and fear—it was the same way he'd looked at her when she was Bad Wolf using the Time Vortex to destroy the Daleks.

The moment the bond had been formed, the Doctor had known the truth. She was still Bad Wolf—she would always be Bad Wolf. He might have taken the Vortex out of her, but it had already changed her permanently in the half hour or that she had wielded its power.

Her timeline was far longer than a typical human life. He'd grieved for a heartbeat at the loss she would eventually suffer, losing everyone she loved—losing him, when he had promised her they could share one life together. Then she'd taken his timeline in her hands and done the impossible, stretching and twisting it until it matched hers, and they were merged.

"Doctor?"

The confusion in Rose's voice jolted the Doctor out of his jumbled thoughts. He laughed in joyous disbelief. "Rose Tyler, you are…"

"Bad Wolf," Rose concluded. "I'm still Bad Wolf."

The Doctor shook his head and cupped her face between his hands. "Yes, you are, and you always will be, but that's not what I was going to say." He rubbed his thumbs over the apples of her cheeks, then reached for the bond and ran a tender touch over it. "My bondmate, Rose. You are my bondmate."

Rose's eyes darkened, and the Doctor's heart started pounding when he realised he could _feel_ her growing desire over their new bond. Then she mimicked his telepathic touch, stroking the bond in a way that quickly became provocative, and he allowed himself to get lost in the pleasure of their wedding night.

Later, when they were sitting up enjoying their champagne with a blanket wrapped around their shoulders to hold back the chill of the mountain night, Rose's curiosity tugged at him.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" he asked.

She tilted her head and looked up at him. "You looked almost afraid for a moment right after we bonded. I meant to ask why, but…" Her smile turned cheeky. "You distracted me."

The Doctor hummed and leaned down to kiss the side of her neck, right where it met her shoulder. "Yes, I did."

Rose nudged him with her elbow, and he giggled when he picked up on her fond exasperation over the bond. "Explanations before further distractions," she said, her voice stern.

The Doctor forced himself to focus on something other than his giddy happiness. He thought for a moment, then took Rose's champagne flute and carefully set it down beside the bed, along with his own. Then he turned back to her and brushed his knuckles over her jaw.

Rose turned her head to kiss his wrist, but the look in her eyes clearly said she wanted an answer.

"My Rose," the Doctor said, then shook his head and started again. "My Bad Wolf. What you did… it should have been impossible."

"What did I do, Doctor?" Rose frowned, and he brushed away the furrow in her brow. "I just… wanted us to be together forever," she told him.

"And we will be," he promised. "That's what you did, love." He sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt. "I should have realised years ago that Bad Wolf had changed you. Later, when we're done with our trip, I'd like to run some tests to see what exactly has changed. But even without knowing the details, as soon as we bonded, I knew I couldn't keep my promise to share your one life with you."

To his surprise, Rose smiled at him and pressed her hand to his heart, just like they'd done when they'd bonded. "Oh, my Doctor," she said, and the tenderness in her voice sent a shiver down his spine. "You will keep your promise. You might not have known the details, but we have one life to spend together."

The Doctor's throat felt thick, and he swallowed hard to contain the tears welling up. Mirroring her, he rested his own hand over her heart. "Two hearts, one life," he said, his voice raspy with emotion.

It was more than he'd ever thought he'd be able to share with Rose. He'd often wondered, since their arrival on Pete's World, how he could possibly show her how much he loved her in the meagre years provided to a human. Now, thanks to Bad Wolf, those years had become centuries.

 _That's right, Doctor,_ Rose said, her whisper over the bond making his eyes flutter closed. _The Doctor and Rose Tyler… forever._


	3. Chapter 3

Rose was surprised when the Doctor hustled her towards the TARDIS the next morning after a campfire breakfast. "We're not going to stay here? Go hiking, see a waterfall, that kind of thing?"

The Doctor pressed his tongue to the back of his teeth, and Rose blinked when she picked up on his indecision over the bond. It almost felt like her own emotion, and she realised it was going to take some time to learn to keep that straight.

He smiled gently and wrapped his arms around her. _That's why we're taking a proper honeymoon,_ he told her as he nuzzled into her neck. _It's a lot to get used to._

Rose sighed and leaned back against his chest, relishing the warm glow of his mind in hers. _Yeah, it is… but I've got you to teach me, right?_ She closed her eyes so she could focus on their connection, and when it felt real in her mind, she imagined herself running a gentle touch over it.

The warmth deepened, and the arms around her waist pulled her closer. _Not sure you'll need much teaching,_ the Doctor mused, his telepathic voice a soft mixture of surprise and delight. _You're already more skilled than any beginning telepath I've ever encountered._

Rose turned in his arms and looped her arms loosely around his neck. _Oh… I think there are some things you could still teach me,_ she purred.

The Doctor's eyes widened and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Yep!" he squeaked. "Much more skilled. And as much as I would love to undertake those… lessons with you, I do have plans for the day."

Rose smirked at him, then stepped back and let him regain his composure. "Which reminds me… about staying here?" The crisp mountain air wafted over them, smelling sweet and fresh this morning, inviting them to linger.

He sighed and looked around at the empty campsite. "Well… We could always come back at the end of our honeymoon for a few days?" he suggested. "I have other plans for the next two weeks, though."

His eagerness finally sparked her own desire to explore, and she nodded. "All right," she said and followed him onto the ship.

He grinned as he sent the TARDIS off to their next destination. "You are going to love what I have planned, Rose Tyler."

"Probably," she agreed. The TARDIS shook, and Rose grabbed onto the railing to stay upright. "I love most things you plan."

The Doctor's face lit up, and the rush of joy over the bond made Rose giggle. "You knew that, didn't you?" He shrugged and his face turned pink, and Rose smiled fondly at him. "Well, I do. Even when they don't turn out exactly the way you thought they would, I love the thought you put into things."

The TARDIS landed before the Doctor could reply, and Rose furrowed her brow at the slightly… squishy feeling of the landing. "It feels like we just sank into something," she said uncertainly.

The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and nodded at the door. "Take a look," he invited.

Rose raised an eyebrow, then turned around and pulled the door open an inch. When sunlight trickled in through the crack in the door, she opened it all the way, gasping when she saw the sunlight sparkling on the turquoise water, only fifty feet away.

"Oh, it's gorgeous." Rose's feet sank slightly into the sand when she stepped onto the beach, and she realised that was what had felt off about their landing. She took a deep breath and savoured the heady floral perfume and the tang of salt air. Behind her, she heard the TARDIS door latch, and then the Doctor took her hand.

"I thought you'd like a beach holiday for our honeymoon."

"It's perfect," she promised him. "And you parked right on the water, so we have a beachfront view the whole time we're here."

A hint of something trickled over the bond, and Rose looked up at him. "Doctor?"

"Well… We do have a beachfront property," he agreed. "But what would you say if I told you it was that one?" He used their joined hands to point at the closest house, a small cottage with a deck that ran the entire length of the back of the house.

"Really?"

The Doctor nodded and tugged her towards it. "Yep! One beach house, complete with a fire pit on the deck and a jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom. And gorgeous views of the ocean from nearly every room of the house," he added as they climbed the steps to the back entrance.

Rose sighed happily when they stepped through the sliding glass doors into the lounge/dining room. Most of the interior was done in the classic beach house shades of white and light blue, and she felt the cares of their life at home melt away in the soothing atmosphere.

The Doctor held up the bag she hadn't noticed he carried and pointed at the stairs. "I'll just take this up to our room, and then we can walk into town."

Rose looked down at the jeans and hiking boots she wore. "Oh, if we're going to explore a beach town, I'm changing first," she declared.

She followed him up the stairs and quickly changed into a white-and-red polka dotted sundress and laced up a pair of red low-top Chucks. Then she grabbed her bag and gave the Doctor a cheeky smile. "Last one out the front door is buying the first ice creams," she called out as she darted down the stairs.

"Oi! You are a cheater, Rose Tyler!" he hollered as he chased after her.

Outside, with victory hers, Rose clasped her hands behind her back and smiled innocently at him as he wagged his finger at her. "Cheaters never prosper," he warned as he locked the door with his sonic screwdriver.

Rose winked at him. "Maybe not, but we do get ice cream." She took his hand and laced their fingers together. "Come on, husband," she said, trying out the word for the first time and loving the way it sounded. "Show me the sights."

"This way, wife," the Doctor said, a rumble in his voice that sent a delicious shiver down Rose's back.

She sighed happily and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked along a street that ran parallel to the shore. The sea air was invigorating, and Rose could easily see why the Doctor had been so determined to come here today instead of staying on Iastea.

The sound of dogs barking caught her attention, and she lifted her head from his shoulder as a man rounded the corner, being led by three eager dogs. She smiled, then blinked when a detail caught her attention. Three eager dogs _with no noses._

"Barcelona?" she asked, looking up at the Doctor, who was now wearing his "I'm so impressive" smile. The satisfaction coming over the bond was so strong she could almost taste it.

"Well," he drawled, "technically this is Sevilla. Another minor difference between this universe and our own."

Rose shook her head and laughed softly. "Is the planet mostly like you remember, other than the name?"

The Doctor nodded. "Oh, yes. About the same size as Earth, with all major climate zones. I picked a small, sub-tropical city renowned for excellent food and better weather."

As the beach houses lining the street gave way to shops, Rose asked the question that had been in the back of her mind all week. "How'd you convince Dad to let us have two weeks off, with only a week's notice?"

Mischief pulsed over the bond, and Rose looked up at her husband. "Doctor?"

"First, I pointed out that it was in the interest of family harmony, since you were likely to get into a major row with your mum if she kept meddling in our wedding plans. And then…" He smirked down at her. "I promised we weren't running off to elope."

Rose stared at him for a moment, then tipped her head back and laughed until tears were streaming down her face. "Oh, my God!" she wheezed as she tried to catch her breath. "Doctor!"

"Well, technically we didn't," he pointed out logically. "We aren't legally married as far as the People's Republic is concerned."

Rose shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "And I suppose what he really wanted to know was if we were gonna come back and refuse to let Mum have her wedding." She pushed herself up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Still. I love you."

The Doctor hummed happily. Rose would have gone in for a proper kiss, but something tugged her attention away from him, like she'd seen something out of the corner of her eye. She turned slightly, trying to find the colour or motion that had distracted her, but there was nothing…

Then she felt it again, and she realised it wasn't something visual. It was a ripple in time, beckoning her forwards. She focused on the feeling, and after a moment of trying, a faint trail of golden specks appeared, floating in midair and leading her on.

The Doctor frowned when Rose suddenly pulled back instead of kissing him, but then he picked up on her distraction and watched as she scanned the street with the keen eyes of a Torchwood agent. A moment later, surprise jolted through him when he felt her tap into her time sense with a dexterity that shouldn't have been possible for someone just learning the skill.

Excitement buzzed over the bond when she found was she was looking for, and she smiled up at him as she took his hand. "Come on, Doctor!" she said as she tugged him down the street.

Despite never having been in this city before, Rose led them straight to the main shopping district, not stopping until she reached a small shop that he was certain they would have walked right by. Standing in front of the door painted a familiar shade of blue, the Doctor could feel the tug of the timelines now, too. It was no surprise to either of them when they spotted a small sign in the window, proudly declaring that the shop sold Bad Wolf Designs.

"Well," the Doctor said as he reached for the door. "Shall we see what you left for us here?"

"Can I help you?" asked the shopkeeper, perched on a stool behind the counter.

The Doctor watched Rose study the shop, and he shook his head. "No… I'm not sure what we're here for, but we'll know it when we see it."

The woman's brow furrowed in confusion, but then she relaxed again, probably figuring that if they weren't going to ask for help, there was no point in looking like she was ready to jump up.

The shop was narrow, with racks of clothes down both sides and one row of tables running down the centre aisle. Rose was working her way down the right side of the building, passing by the merchandise with only a cursory glance. With his hands in his pockets, the Doctor meandered over to the left side of the room, paying more attention to the way his time senses were tingling than to the clothes themselves.

Just past the counter, something caught his eye. A manic grin crossed his face when he pulled a long, brown coat off a high rack. "Rose, I found it!" he called out, spinning around to show her.

As he turned, he felt her awe and excitement spike, and he wasn't surprised that she had her own find in her hands. When he saw the dress, its deep navy blue satin skirt covered in hundreds of beaded stars, his mouth fell open.

"Rose, it's—"

"Your coat."

"Your wedding dress."

They looked at each other and laughed when they finished the sentence at the same time.

"That is stunning, Rose," the Doctor said, reaching out to touch the delicate, almost sheer fabric of the bodice.

"Mum's gonna have kittens 'cause it's not white, but I don't care." Rose traced the swirl of stars on the skirt. "Time and space, Doctor. That's our life."

The swirl of golden light in Rose's eyes captivated the Doctor, and for the briefest moment, he allowed himself to look forward along their timeline, taking a glimpse of their future, walking together in stardust. He pulled himself away before he could see many details—life was so much more fun if it was lived day by day.

"Yeah," he agreed, feeling breathless. "It's our life together."

Rose smiled, then gestured at the coat he'd almost forgotten about. "Does it fit?"

The Doctor grinned and swung the overcoat around dramatically, rocking back on his heels when the familiar weight settled on his shoulders. He stuck his hands in the pockets and made a face.

"Not bigger on the inside, but I can fix that." He adjusted the lapels, then nodded in satisfaction. "It's just like my coat."

"Then I think we're ready to go, don't you?"

"Don't you want to try the dress on?" the shopkeeper suggested.

The Doctor and Rose shared a smile. "No need," he told her as he pulled out a credit stick. "I think Bad Wolf Designs made these just for us."

"An' besides," Rose added, teasing him with a tongue-touched smile. "It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony."

oOoOoOoOo

To Rose's surprise, after their return home as a bonded couple, her fights with her mum over wedding details calmed down. The colour of the flowers, or the size of the reception… those things just didn't matter to her, now that she and the Doctor were already tied together as intimately as was possible. They had hundreds of years and all of time and space at their fingertips—if they wanted to plan a wedding more to their own tastes later, nothing would stop them.

They were implacable on two points: Rose would wear the dress she'd found on Sevilla, and at least one layer of the wedding cake would be banana flavoured. Other than that, they gave Jackie free rein to plan the wedding she'd always wanted to give Rose.

And staring down the long aisle on her father's arm, Rose had to admit that her mum had outdone herself. She clutched the elegant all-white bouquet as the music started, then took her first step onto the white runner that ran the length of the aisle.

The Doctor's happiness glowed in her mind. _You are so gorgeous, Rose,_ he told her as soon as he could see her.

Rose admired the sharp cut of his navy blue tux. _You're not looking too shabby either._

When Rose reached the end of the aisle and took the Doctor's hand, his presence in her mind deepened. The bond beckoned to them both, and it was hard to focus on the wedding ceremony going on around them, instead of their own private conversation. Rose fidgeted impatiently while the minister rambled about the importance and solemnity of marriage and the lifelong commitment they were about to enter.

But then it was time. She handed her bouquet to her maid of honour and faced the Doctor, taking both of his hands in hers. He grinned and bounced on his toes, eliciting a chuckle from the minister.

Then the man cleared his throat and said, "Doctor, why have you come here on this day?"

"I came here today to take Rose Tyler to be my wife." He ran a gentle caress over the bond, along with a whisper of an endearment. Then he continued, his next words all for her. "Rose, I promise to love, honour, and cherish you through all that life may bring—for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. I promise to be faithful to you…"

He paused, and the fire in his eyes made Rose's breath catch.

" _As long as we both shall live."_


End file.
